Cover Metal Swing Chains for a Softer Look on the Porch

How was your weekend? We had nice weather here and I decided it was time to get to work on priming the new screened door out of the porch. While I was priming it, I had a “uh-duh” moment. I wish it had been an “Ah-ha” moment, but unfortunately it wasn’t. No, it was definitely an “uh-duh” moment.

I suddenly realized in the midst of priming, there was no way in the world I was going to be able to prime and paint the back side of the cross pieces that run horizontal on the door. Those pieces are jam up against the screening so there’s no way to really reach that side of those to paint them. 🙁

I think I vaguely remember some discussion about this when the porch was being built five years ago. I’m guessing the painter removed the screening so he could fully paint both sides of the screened doors and my contractor must have had them re-screened by the same company he had build the screens for the porch itself. So, I guess that means I’ll need to remove the screening, prime and paint the door on BOTH sides, then take it to have it rescreened. This door project just gets more and more complicated! Crazy, huh?

Determined to get something accomplished this weekend, I went to work rehanging the freshly laundered swing chain covers. The attack of the pollen is already back in full swing (despite my recent porch clean-up) but I just can’t stand looking at those bare swing chains.

Putting the covers back on goes a lot faster than removing them. It’s much easier to snap them back up than to carefully pry the snaps apart without ripping the fabric to remove them for washing. In the pic below, I had just finished covering the chains on one side. I really do like how they look covered!

The covers I use are just cord covers purchased at Hobby Lobby (with a coupon) and cut to fit the length of the chains. You can read detailed directions on how many covers I needed for my swing and what lengths I cut them in this post: Hiding Ugly Swing Chains. If you decide to cover your swing chains, you can use any color covering you wish. I went with white so the chains would kind of just disappear.

All done. I’m sure they’ll be covered in pollen soon, but that’s okay. If that happens, I’ll just vacuum them off with the brush attachment on my vacuum and they will be fine.

Now it’s time to buy a few flowers for the deck. I lost one of my knock-out rose topiaries this year, it just flat out croaked during the winter.

Hope I can find something hardy for these pots this summer, something in a pretty topiary form.

I can’t use hibiscus here because in the past my mischievous squirrels eat all the leaves right off the plant.

I transplanted this squirrel-eaten hibiscus to another more secluded corner of the deck one summer, in an attempt to save it before the squirrels stripped it totally bare. Bad squirrels!

How are your outdoor spaces looking? Did you do any spiffing up this weekend or is it still a bit too cold where you live?

Thank-You!

Before I end this post, I wanted to thank you for all your prayers for Max. His appetite improved this weekend and he ate really well so keep those prayers coming…they are working! And thank you so much for all the generous donations you made to the account Cyndy set up to help with Max’s medical expenses. I feel so blessed by your generosity and support during this very difficult time.

On a sad note, my son lost his sweet kitty, Haley, this weekend. We adopted her when she was just six weeks old and Chip was 12 years old. They’ve been together forever; he even took her off to college with him.

She passed away in her sleep during the night on Saturday night after a wonderful evening spent in my son’s lap and the laps of their friends who were visiting. Chip told me she was so happy Saturday evening and purred up a storm. He found her Sunday morning when he awoke, she had passed during the night.

She was 18 years old and had a full, well-loved life. Both my son and his wife will miss her greatly, as will I. Last time I visited them, she came running out of the kitchen when she heard my voice. I guess she still remembered me from all those years when I fed her and loved her when Chip was still living here at home. I pray that we will see all our furbabies in heaven one day, I pray that will all my heart.

Metamorphosis Monday:

If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday you will need to link up the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz.

In order to link up, you’ll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party so the other participants will have an opportunity to receive visits from your wonderful blog readers.

Please observe these few rules:

Only link up Before and After posts that are home, gardening, crafting, painting, sewing, cooking, DIY related.

Do not link up if you’re doing so to promote a website or product.

Do not link up a post that was just linked last week since a lot of readers will have already seen that post.

Do not type in ALL CAPS. It spreads the links waaaay out.

Let’s try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you…that way everyone will get some visits.

Susan, I really want to be you, when I grow up! I have had my porch swing for 21 years and have been meaning to make some chain covers for about 20!! I love blogging, so that I can be inspired (maybe!) to get busy and do some of these things I have meant to do for years. I am always so impressed at your energy and creativity! I hope that you are feeling much better and that Max is comfortable – I know that he is loved!

Aww, thanks Diane! Max did really well this weekend! The electric cord covers really work great. You can probably buy them online if you don’t have a store near you that carries them. That older post that I referenced explains how many I needed to cover the chains and how I cut them to fit just right. It was really easy and they have held up beautifully. I just take them off about once every year or two and give ’em a wash in my hand wash basket of my washing machine and they still look great. So they were worth the initial cost since they have held up well. I had thought about making my own but without all those snaps, it would be a pain to get them on and off for washing every couple of years.

Hi Susan, thanks once again for the party. I had never heard of squirrels eating hibiscus leaves! Around here I guess they have so many avocados, mangoes, etc. that leaves are beneath them. 🙂 I do get caterpillars on mine, though. Hope Max continues to improve!
Liz

Susan,
Oh, the pollen has been a beast this year for us too. I’ve been slowing getting it taken care of from under our pavilion and decks. What a mess it makes.
Happy to hear that Max is doing better though so sorry to hear about your son’s kitty, Haley. I think we all get so attached to our Fur Babies so much. They sure make it easy to do that don’t they?

Susan,
I love the cord covers on your swing, dear friend!!!
I have a taupe cord cover on a vintage 1970’s hanging swag lamp
and it dresses up the lamp by hiding the chains so elegantly!!!
Thanks for hsoting Metamorphosis Monday each week.
I always come away inspired to make minor OR major improvements to our home!
Fondly,
Pat

Here’s a tip on screen doors-it’s much easier to paint them BEFORE they are hung-just lay them across 2 chair backs if you don’t have sawhorses. Try not to overload your brush with paint and use an angled brush. Gravity pulls any excess paint downward so it’s less likely to hit the screening.

So glad to hear Max is doing better, but so very sorry about Chip’s cat. The loss of a pet is truly overwhelming. I still have dreams/nightmares of when we lost our sweet little beagle girl, Manzi (rhymes with Pansy). It still breaks my heart although it has been 7 years.

Your porch is looking great, but it always does. We have cold weather today and the pollen has settled for now. I know it isn’t the end!

Hi Susan! So glad to hear that Max is doing better and I’m so sorry for Chip’s loss! It is so hard to lose our pets and I’m praying for Max AND Chip.

On a different note: I do have a question. When trying to link up, I’m getting hung up on the Linky picture. When I try to upload the picture (because Linky never shows a photo), it acts like it is accepted but never shows up. Do you know if this is a problem on my end, or are others having issues with Linky?

Thanks, Tracy! I haven’t had anyone else mention that. I may be able to add a pic for you though. What number are you or did you link yet? If you get the frog pic, just go ahead and link and tell me what number you are and I’ll see if I can add a picture from your post from the InLinkz screen. I’ve done that before for folks when a blue frog was showing instead of a picture.

It’s weird. There is no picture at all and I cannot click “continue” or “next” or anything unless I try to upload a picture myself. Once I upload a picture, it appears as if I’ve been successful, but my link doesn’t show up. I will try once I get home tonight off of this network. Thanks Susan for your help!

Tracy, do you by any use one of the new “dynamic” themes in Blogger? The InLinkz guy told me a few weeks back that the new dynamic themes Blogger came out with aren’t compatible with the InLinkz system for some reason. 🙁

Hi Susan:
I’m so happy to hear that both you and Max are feeling better. It’s nice to see you up and creating again after the horrible event you went through.
My sister lives in Austell, GA and tells me every spring how horrible the pollen season is. It I’m sure makes life miserable for a few weeks for everyone to keep it cleared off, but especially with people who suffer from allergies.
RIP Miss Haley. She was a lucky kitty to have been loved and have such a great home for so long. I truly believe that our animals will be waiting for us in heaven along with all our loved ones. It’s something that makes death not near as scary to know what our Lord promises and knowing we will see all those we loved once again and never have to part again.
Love the chain covers…..Have you ever posted a tour of your entire home and property. It looks just beautiful!
Take care special lady, there are a lot of us out here who care very much about you!
Sandi

Sandi, I surely hope so, too. No, I haven’t really posted a full tour…just rooms here and there. They are all linked up under the category, “My Nest.” I need to badly renovate all three of the baths in this home and relandscape…big expenses. Some day.

Hi Susan – What a difference the covers make on the porch swing! It is so sweet! I’m thinking of other applications for this idea now… Also glad to hear that Max had a good weekend. I absolutely believe that our animal family is with us after this life. They are little souls as we are.

So happy that Max is responding to treatment, but sorry to hear of the loss of your son’s kitty. Speaking of kitties, again my attempts at learning to blog have been interrupted…this time by two tiny, tiny orphaned kittens, found behind my neighbors a/c unit outside. The mother was no where to be found and the ants were getting to the babies. He brought them to me and I couldn’t get the door closed fast enough, LOL. I’ve been wanting a kitty ever since my 13 yr old Floyd died last year. Be careful what you wish for…these babies have kept me awake since Wednesday, when Fred brought them to my door. The vet said they were 2 weeks old…a little orange tabby boy, and Tabby/Torty little girl. This place looks like a baby nursery…wipes, formula, and plenty of clean pillowcases for the constant changes to the box. The pictures of them so far are only some poor ones taken with my cell phone, but I’m hoping to blog about them soon. Thanks for the instrux on how to link. I might be able to contribute a bench project I recently finished, after our Black Lab almost destroyed it. I’m so glad you are better…can’t believe how good your porch looks, after a long winter….all ready for summer even though you were so ill.

Joyce, you are sooo sweet to take those babies to raise. I’m know it’s a full time job right now. It will get better when there a little older. I don’t imagine you’re getting much sleep right now. You are an angel!

thanks for hosting…we get so many great ideas here.As always love your porch,good luck with the squirrel situation we just gave up and now fill them up on birdseed.The chains look better all dressed up,and as for that yellow pollen monster,we fight it daily and it is on going battle here in southeast Ga also.Have not started up the pressure washer YET,but It want be long,I took the water hose to it last week,this week after the rain we gonna blast it to smithereens,It is gonna be histOreeeeee.
Jo @ LoblollyLane

Jo, the set up I have now has finally foiled the squirrels from raiding the feeder. The pole is too long for them reach out and if they jump down from the pegola, they can’t get past the baffle. I watched one today trying to figure it out…too funny! I’m def ready for this pollen to be history! 🙂

Good morning Susan. Your screen door trials amuse me because it is so like what happens around here. Sometimes things take so much longer to accomplish because of my inability to think things through from beginning to end 🙁 So happy to hear that dear Max is feeling better! Have a blessed week, [email protected]

Susan,
You are a brave woman to fearlessly hang those new cord covers on the porch knowing the pollen is sure to attack … its so thick here the last week I’d clog my vacuum if I were to try and clean the porch! I’ll keep you and Max in my thoughts, it is so difficult having anyone we love fall ill. So sorry about Haley and I know she will be greatly missed, she sounds so special having lived at college and still responding to the sound of your voice, but her life does sound rich and full and purr-fect for a kitty.

Brave or crazy…not sure which! 🙂 I can’t believe how thick it is here, too. My vacuum is hanging in there so far…but it’s bad, so I know what you mean. I was sooo surprised when I visited them a few months ago and she came running. She had arthritis and Chip and Nancy said she never runs, but she came running when she heard my voice when I entered their home. I guess a little door opened somewhere. It was so sweet that she did that. I still remember the day we adopted her…her little teeny paw reaching through the cage and she cried and cried and getting our attention. My son was smitten and she came home with us that day. Hard to believe that was 18 years ago…where did the time go? I wish I could rewind my life sometime.

WOW!!! What a difference those chain covers make!!! I may have to try that…as soon as I recover the chair cushions the puppy decided to chew up while we were out one day. Thankfully, he just shredded the cover and didn’t get to the cushion part! LOVE LOVE LOVE your outdoor living spaces!! Thanks also for the great place to link up. I always get the most views from your party. 🙂

Glad max (and you!) are doing better, and I am sorry to hear of your son’s kitty. We lost our family kitty when my daughter was about 15, and he had been with her thru thick and thin. Thank you as always for a great party, hope you all have a good week 🙂

Oh, Susan, I’m so sorry about your son’s kitty. But what a wonderful life she had! Loved and protected to a ripe old age. And I’m thrilled that Max is better. That’s such good news. And that YOU are up and around and doing things to the house. That’s the best news of all! 🙂

Hi Susan. So glad to hear about Max doing well, and sorry about the loss of Haley. While I have always been a dog person (we have 3), last year my mom died and her cat Chrissy came to live with us. I have now come to love Chrissy, but unfortunately my 2 year old Doberman Pinscher will not accept her as a friend. I have to keep gates up to keep the dog from chasing her like she chases the squirrels in our yard! My other 2 dogs are small and are fine with the cat. Chrissy is the sweetest most affectionate cat. I’m trying my best to keep peace in the house!
I might have mentioned it before, but I cannot find swing cover anywhere that have the snaps like yours. Hobby Lobby carries some covers, but not in white or cream. They only had 5 colors – black, red, pink, olive green, and blue (I think). If any of your readers know where to find chain covers like yours that are washable, please share that with us. Thanks so much. P.S. If Chip wants a very sweet kitty, let me know!!

That’s a shame your Doberman won’t accept her. Max loves all doggies, too. I haven’t looked for the cord covers in a few years since I bought mine 4-5 years ago, but they had them in various colors and the ivory back then. I just googled and found some here. They are pretty long at this site…looks like they are 9 ft long instead of the usual 6 feet: http://designercords.com/pages/lampcordcover.php
They were pretty pricey at HL, too…but I had a coupon which helped. Try Googling electrical cord covers or chandelier chain covers and maybe you’ll find some at a better price. You could make your own but it would be hard to get them on and off without all the snaps. Oh, just found some that are 12 ft on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/12-Electric-Cord-Downrod-Cover/dp/B002JWJ3T6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_5 Check further on Amazon…you may some for even less.

Hi Susan, Your swing chain covers are lovely. I have seen this type of cover on the chains of chandeliers in pictures of old homes and love how they look. I am so glad Max is responding to the treatments and I am truly sorry to hear of your son’s kitty.

I am working on a project too. My late husband and my son built a wooden bench, however, he never painted it or stained it. So I have decided to restore it. I de-spidered it, brushed it off, have been sanding it, and am going to stain and seal it and then put a colorful cushion on it and have a nice spot on my patio for it.

Oh Susan, good news about Max!!! So sorry for your son’s kitty, but she lived a long life surrounded with love!!! Yes, they will all be there with us someday………………..glad you are feeling better now , and your porch looks amazing as always……take care and don’t overdo…………

I am thrilled for you Susan, because I know you’re very happy with Max’s health progress…but very sorry for your dear son’s beloved kitty. He was lucky to have her live a long life to give her so much love through out a long time; but still, it’s the saddest and harddest time when we loose our beloved pets! Your porch is going to look better than ever, it’s such a fabulous place as it is. Thank you for the party and have a good week.
FABBY

So, so glad that Max has some of his appetite back. That is a big part of them getting better. My vet once told me that he has seen more cats die from lack of eating before their illness took them. So we always try to keep ours on the ‘healthy’ side by giving them plenty to eat. 🙂

Hate that your son lost his fur baby. I’ve lost way too many but they do provide so much love and devotion. Our oldest one lived 18 1/2 years and even though she has been gone four years we miss her all the time. Virtual hugs to your son and his wife.

If you have the screen removed and re-screened. Please take note that the hardware store has ruined both of my screen doors, to the point of warping them, because they pull the new screening tooooo tight and then pull the door out of shape so it doesn’t close properly

Susan, your chain covers are brilliant of course! You have such an eye for seeing and fixing things that I would probably just walk by and not notice! That must be why your photos always look like a magazine! I apologize for not commenting about Max, I just can’t even go there. After loosing a beloved pet several years ago, my husband and I decided we just can’t do that any more, we get too attached…my heart can’t take it. I am sorry about your son’s sweet kitty but it was a sweet happy tale you told…stay well,
Jenna

Jenna, I totally understand. I’ve said several times over the last few weeks that Max is my last. I know folks think I’ll change my mind, but I definitely won’t. I can’t do it again, either…just way too painful. So, I completely understand. I’m so sorry you had to go through this before, also. XO

Hello Susan, Love your porch, all the white really makes it look cool and summery. I am currently working on my porch and think I will try to make those chain covers ( great idea!) Thanks so much for hosting and hope you will check out my DIY Kitchen. Glad yourMax is doing better.

So nice you can get to work on freshening up the porch, it looks great. Glad Max is feeling better and sorry to hear you son lost his kitty after so many years. Thanks so much for hosting again this week, Laura

I was so tickled to see the name of your blog in my email list. That is wonderful news about your Max, but such sad news about your Son’s cat. I hope your family has some comfort knowing that her eighteen years were the best years, and she never ever wanted for anything in those years, especially love. I truly believe that we will be reunited with our furry friends one day. How could they not be in Heaven when they are the perfect souls?

I’m a little behind on my reading, so I had to catch up…just in time to hear the good news about Max! Sorry to read the news about your sons kitty, so sad. It just breaks my heart each time I hear about a furbaby sick or leaving.
Is there a way that you could get wood pieces to place on the inside of the screen like there is on the outside? I hope that makes sense. Then you could paint the inside the same as the outside. I think you could easily glue it and add some trim nails to hold. Of course I am not a carpenter, but I think it should work.

It’s obvious that screen porch doors were not designed with an inside view in mind! Ours has become a continuous filter for small leaves and unwitting bugs that defy the power of my hose. I may actually paint the inside black or charcoal to match the screen this year. Also, sorry to hear about you grand-furbaby and happy too that Max is doing better this week. I also pray that we will have them as our eternal companions one day.

I am so very sorry about Haley. I hope we’ll have the joy of our pets in the afterlife too. I can’t imagine it being so wonderful if we don’t have them, so surely it’s true. It sounds like she was a lucky kitty and she knew she was loved. That picture of her is fantastic!